Legislation would make English the official language of U.S. government

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Published 6:46 pm, Friday, September 19, 2014

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U. S. Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX)

U. S. Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX)

Legislation would make English the official language of U.S. government

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English will be the official language of the United States, if legislation submitted by a Houston-area U.S. representative passes.

Introduced by Texas Rep. Steve Stockman, H.R. 5473 would also repeal Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which calls for bilingual ballots. Additionally, it amends Section 337 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to ensure that all naturalization ceremonies are conducted in English, rather than foreign languages.

U.S. English Chairman Mauro E. Mujica said, "Rep. Stockman’s bill proposes common sense changes that will help encourage immigrants to fully assimilate, while saving the federal government millions of dollars. Performing naturalization ceremonies and providing voting ballots in languages other than English are duplicative and unnecessary.

"In order to become a naturalized citizen, an immigrant to the United States is already required to pass a test demonstrating English proficiency. By using English, rather than a native language, a newcomer to the United States is able to fully integrate into American culture. As an immigrant myself, I have experienced firsthand how speaking the nation’s common language fluently can make one feel fully American, and I am hopeful that the House of Representatives will support the positive intentions of this unifying legislation.”

“Most immigrants want to learn English,” Stockman added. “Conducting all official government business in English, while leaving people free to conduct private business however they wish, ensures we stay a united and strong country.”

H.R. 5473 has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, as well as the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, for further consideration.

Stockman represents Texas' 36th District, which includes must of eastern Harris County and stretching to the Louisiana border.

U.S. English, Inc. is the nation’s oldest and largest non-partisan citizens’ action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 2 million members.